Report: Iron Dome Battery Was Inoperable for Weeks in Northern Israel

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Israel's 5th Iron Dome battery. Photo: MOD.

Despite the many plaudits it has received since its successful “premier” during Israel’s November conflict with Gaza terrorists, it was revealed Tuesday that the Iron Dome security system has proven helpless against at least one enemy: the weather.

An Iron Dome rocket defense installation positioned in northern Israel was out of service for six weeks, Army Radio reported, adding that the battery was damaged when the building it was stored in, an Air Force base in Hatzor, near Ashdod, was flooded during one of the storms that wreaked havoc on the country in January.

According to the report, the Haelah river near the base overran its banks during the storm and flooded the base. The battery has since been repaired and is now operational.

“This was a very unusual event that should not occur, this system is highly valuable – and we’re lucky it did not happen during combat,” a security source told Israel’s Channel 2, according to a translation.